Dance Around the Spinning Wheel
by pandorabox82
Summary: Weddings are supposed to be a joyous occasion. Except JJ's wedding turns out to be anything but for Penelope, Beth, and Erin. How will Aaron begin to pick up the shattered pieces of one of their lives without hurting her any further?


Aaron had been surprised by how much Erin was dancing with Dave at JJ's wedding. He was under the impressions that they were trying to keep their relationship, such as it was, under wraps. As the night wound down, he found himself watching them together, the easy way they laughed making him smile.

"Where's your head, Aaron?" He looked down at Beth and suddenly realized everything about this relationship was wrong. She must have noticed the change in his demeanor, as she smiled sadly.

"I really like you, Beth."

"But not enough to be with me any longer." He nodded, searching for words to say. "Don't worry, sometimes these things just don't work out." She kissed his cheek softly and let go of him, heading over to the refreshment table.

He stared after her, oblivious of his surroundings until a soft hand touched his upper arm. "Aaron? Is everything all right?" He looked down at Erin and smiled gently as he shrugged.

"One door just closed," he replied, looking over at Beth. "Would you care to dance with me?" She nodded and Aaron took her in his arms, holding her close to him as the musicians continued the slow music. She was much smaller than he had anticipated, and he attributed it to her personality. "How are things between you and Dave?"

"At an impasse. We're great together, the sex is wonderful, and we want to be together."

"I hear a but in there somewhere."

She nodded. "And a pretty large one at that. Aaron, I know I've made amends with you already. But, well, this is so embarrassing. You've been starring in one of my dreams for about a month now. Dave says I need to get you out of my system. I told him there was no way that would ever happen, you're in a committed relationship, and even one night would make things very awkward at work…"

She was talking very quickly and he rubbed her back slowly as they swayed to the music. "Erin." She stopped babbling and looked up at him, her eyes large in the dark of evening. "Beth and I broke up tonight. I want something more perfect, like what you and Dave have." She smiled a sad, gentle, smile and reached up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. "If he's okay with me scratching this itch of yours, I'll do it." He didn't know why he was agreeing to the madness, but felt like it was something she needed desperately.

Erin bit her lip as she nodded. "I'll be in the master bedroom once everyone's gone home. Dave graciously agreed to take the guest room, if you were willing to do this for us. Thank you."

Aaron nodded in return and she let go of him to glide back over to Dave, letting him wrap his arms around her. As Aaron watched, she spoke lowly to Dave. Moments later, the older man looked up, nodding to him. Aaron wondered what was going on in their heads, since his own brain was racing.

Emily came up to him, holding out her hand. "May I have this dance, Hotch?" He smiled and took hold of her hand, dancing with her for a few songs before she moved on to dance with Morgan. Feeling thirsty, he went over to the refreshment table and picked up a flute of champagne. In deference to Erin, the alcohol was fake, but the taste was just as good.

JJ and Will were the first to leave, taking off in a limo as Henry and Reid followed them in another car. The babysitting detail would be good for the young doctor, or so Garcia had said. Morgan and Emily left next, and he had his arm around her waist possessively. Aaron wondered how he had never noticed that developing, but shrugged a little as they waved to him.

Kevin and his new girlfriend snuck off as he was saying goodbye to Jessica and Jack. He felt a small twinge of guilt as he realized Beth had also disappeared, never saying goodbye to him. Shaking his head, he knelt and hugged his son tightly. "I'll be home in the morning, buddy. Uncle Dave just needs someone to help clean up a little." His son nodded, smiling as he trustingly grabbed hold of Jessica's hand.

"I won't expect you until the afternoon, Aaron. Have fun cleaning up." Jessica smiled at him as if she knew what was really going to happen that evening. He swore internally as he felt his cheeks burn a little under her scrutiny. "Penelope would make the better choice for you, anyway."

Aaron choked on his breath, trying not to cough as he nodded. "Yes, well, she's still getting over Kevin and his new girlfriend. I am just cleaning up tonight, Jess."

"Okay, well, have fun doing whatever it is you're going to do." She kissed his cheek softly before leaving with Jack.

Feeling eyes on him, he turned to see Penelope was looking at him shyly. "Yes, Garcia?"

"Thank you for dancing with me tonight. You made me feel wonderful, especially after Kevin dropped his bombshell." Her smile faltered and he reached out to cup her cheek.

As she nuzzled into the touch, he asked, "What did he tell you?"

"He's marrying her. He already asked her and she said yes. How frakking crazy is that? They've only been dating a few months and already they're getting hitched." Her eyes welled up and he gently rubbed away the tears that fell down her cheeks. "I'll be fine, I know I will. It's just going to take time to get over the sting of this. It's like a slap in the face, you know?"

He nodded and she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Any time you need to talk, Garcia, my ear is open to you." She sniffled and nodded as she stepped back from him. "Any time."

"Yes, Aaron." She hugged him once more before taking off, leaving him alone with Erin and Dave. His friend beckoned him over to their side and he ambled up to join them, watching the caterers begin to clear everything away.

"Erin tells me you've agreed to help us out. Thanks." He nodded absently, his eyes on Erin. She was blushing and her arms were crossed over her stomach. "I mean, it is a little embarrassing to be called you during sex."

She tittered nervously and stepped closer to him. Aaron felt his protective side come out with that simple gesture of trust. "I don't need to know all the details, Dave." He held out his hand to her and she clasped it hesitantly. "We'll see you in the morning, old man." He narrowed his eyes at his friend, wondering what had possessed him, to make fun of his lover in front of someone else.

Erin silently led him up to the master bedroom. "You don't have to defend me to him, Aaron. He's right, in his own way. And I do love him for all that he loves to embarrass me. He says I need to build up a thicker skin. Maybe he's right." She bit her lip becomingly as her eyes filled with tears.

"No, Erin, you do not need to develop a thicker skin. If he loved you, truly loved you, he wouldn't do that to you." Leaning forward, he kissed her softly, feeling her lean into him. His arms closed around her waist, and as the kiss continued, he began to taste the salt of her tears.

Pulling back, he reached up and caressed her cheek. "I don't want this to be a sad thing, Aaron." Erin closed her eyes, a melancholy smile gracing her face. "Making love should be joyous."

"That it should, Erin." He tugged the shawl from her shoulders, wrapping it around one of the bedposts. "What do you like?"

"Being kissed. I would love to have kisses pressed down my spine." He nodded, wanting her to continue. "I like being taken against the wall. I don't mind if you mark me, just try to keep it to places my clothes will cover. Do you like getting blow jobs?"

Her fast question caught him off guard and he brought his hands up to tug at his tie, letting it fall to the floor as he shrugged his suit coat off his shoulders. "Of course I do. I think, though, the better question is if you like giving them."

She averted her eyes as she reached back to fumble with her zipper. "Dave likes them, and Alan liked them." She moved back and sat heavily on the bed. As she pulled the bodice of her dress away from her chest, Aaron drank in her beauty. He frowned, however, when he saw the bruises that marked her torso, below her bra.

"Erin…" She refused to look at him. "Dammit, look at me!" Her head shot up and he could see the terror and shame there. "You don't want to do this. Is he making you?" She shook her head frantically, crossing her arms over her breasts, drawing in on herself.

"No, Aaron, I want this." Hurriedly, she stood, letting the dress fall the rest of the way off her body and onto the floor as she began to sob. She looked so defeated, so broken, and for the first time he wondered what had happened to her in rehab, what had happened to her in her life before sobriety. "Just, be gentle?"

Aaron's heart broke with those words. Stepping forward, he wrapped her in a tight hug, letting her cry on his chest. "I would never be anything but. Are you sure you want me to do this?" She nodded against his chest as he fumbled with the clasp on her bra. "Erin, go lay on the bed, on your stomach, and I'll fulfill the first of your fantasies."

She nodded, reaching up to kiss his cheek softly before moving over to the bed and reclining. He stripped down to his boxers and then joined her. Straddling her body, he bent and placed butterfly kisses all down her spine, ending at her panty line. Then he sat up and began to massage her shoulders gently, trying to work some of the tension out. It was amazing how quickly she became putty beneath his hands and he smiled.

Turning her over just as gently, he catalogued every bruise and mark on her body. "This isn't right, Erin. He shouldn't hurt you like this," he said softly as his fingers rubbed and grazed over them. She reached up and reciprocated his gestures on his scars, smiling wistfully.

"It doesn't hurt, Aaron. Or maybe I've become accustomed to it." A spark of anger lodged in Aaron's heart and he had to struggle not to tighten his hand around her hip. Bending once more, he placed a lingering kiss on her heart, listening to her sigh. "I love kisses like that. Kisses that don't bite."

She closed her arms around him, pulling him down atop her. And suddenly, he wanted to fill her with pleasure, the likes that she had never felt before in her life. "I'm not a vampire, Erin, I don't sparkle." She smiled at that, running her hands up and down his back. "So, you love kisses." She nodded and he lightly brushed his lips against hers. Then he sought out the tiny mole he had always stared at when they were sparring. It gave the illusion of eye contact, and later, he had found himself thankful for the tiny imperfection on an otherwise flawless face. He caressed the tiny mark with his tongue before placing the same light kisses all over her face.

Aaron learned she had an erogenous spot behind her ear, the same place Haley had had one. He nuzzled and nipped at it until she was writhing beneath him. Slowly, gently, he explored her body, loving the sweet noises she made. "I'm close, Aaron. Against the wall, please?" He nodded as he pulled down her panties, finding her wet and slick already.

Placing a kiss on the top of her mound, he shucked off his boxers before bringing her arms up around his neck. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he groaned as he felt her heat against his skin. Carefully, he brought them over to the wall, making sure she was wall braced before burying himself in her slick, tight, sheath. "Are you good?"

"Very." He nodded and they set a fast, primal, pace as they raced to that sweetest pinnacle of pleasure. "Oh god, Aaron!" she keened out as her orgasm shuddered though her body. He went over the edge with her as her muscles tightened around him and he tried not to grip her hips so tightly as to leave bruises. "Thank you," he heard her murmur and he nodded against her shoulder.

Once he'd gotten his breath back a little, he carried her over to the bed, laying her down gently before crawling in next to her. Erin snuggled into him, yawning slightly. "Why do you let him hurt you?"

"You profilers really suck sometimes," she said lowly, splaying her hand out on his chest as she threw a leg over his. Taking a deep breath, she dug her fingers into the muscles of his chest. It stung a little, and he rubbed her back gently, waiting for her to continue. "It's all I've ever known. Why do you think I drank? Why do you think I was such a bitch? And now, maybe it's all I deserve after the way I treated you and your team, your family."

Erin's words suddenly stopped and he felt her tears wet his chest once more. The lick of anger returned, fanned by her tears into an unhealthy blaze. "No one deserves to be hurt like this."

"At least it's only during sex with Dave. It could be worse." He felt her soft lips press against the scar tissue marring his torso, kissing and licking it tenderly. "Please don't profile me, Aaron. He's the only one who wants me as I am. We waited twenty years to be together, and while it's not perfect, I do love him."

All he could do was nod and run his fingers through her hair until she fell asleep. Then he slipped from the bed and tugged on his boxers. Giving her a long look, he made up his mind and made his way down to the study. Like he'd thought, his friend was still up, sitting on the sofa, staring into the fire. "Was she wonderful?" The question was tinged with pride and it sickened him a bit, to be used in this game Dave was playing with Erin.

Ignoring the question, he growled out, "Stand up and face me like a man." Dave turned to look at him over the back of the sofa. "If I find out that you ever so much as pinch her too hard again, I will have you transferred out to Alaska. Get over here."

Dave stood and made his way over to him, as if he had expected this outcome, too. "What are you going to do to me, Hotch?"

"Leave you with a mark no one will see." Quickly, he punched Dave in the solar plexus, watching him stagger back a little. "Are we clear now?"

"As crystal," he gasped out.

"Good. Now, I'm going back up to her and finishing my night with her." Dave could only nod as he went to sit back on the sofa. Aaron climbed the stairs slowly, thinking about what had just happened. He had actually hit his best friend. Opening the door to the master bedroom, he saw that Erin had kicked off the sheet and was curled up in a ball on the edge of the bed.

Aaron went over to the other side, getting in and pulling the sheet back up. Within moments, she had maneuvered her body against his, throwing a possessive leg over his, wrapping an arm around his waist, and nuzzling her face into his shoulder. "You're back."

"I am. I wouldn't leave you for long." He kissed her forehead lightly and she tightened her grip on him.

"Can he still walk?" He nodded. "Thank God for small miracles, I suppose. You know, Penelope could use a white knight like you." Erin yawned and put her head back down on his shoulder. "Thank you for not hurting him too badly."

"You're welcome, Erin. Go back to sleep now." She nodded and he felt her breathing even out. Once she was back asleep, he let himself relax and follow her to Slumberland, hoping that with the coming dawn he wouldn't regret sleeping with her or knocking some sense into his best friend. After all, Dave had a wonderful relationship just waiting for him, if he would only open his eyes. Aaron prayed it would happen soon, before their dance around the spinning wheel came to a close.


End file.
